Have you stayed physically and mentally healthy into your fifties? How?

[CommeIlFaut]

I’m late forties now so am starting to think about the next few years. I’ve seen friends, cousins and neighbours age into their fifties and the outcome in terms of their physical and mental health seems huge.

Two big worries for me are becoming an empty nester and keeping my confidence at work and to try new things. As well as staying slim and fit(ish). While I understand we can’t always control what goes on with our physical and mental health, I’d love to give myself the best possible chance of coming out the other side of my fifties (and into retirement) like the slim, sociable, active ladies I see at the gym.

If you have experienced a happy, healthy sixth decade what has helped? Diet? Exercise? HRT? Relationships? Hobbies? Career? Anything really!

Happy marriage, Christian faith, gym 4 x a week (weights in the main but with 15 mins of cardio at the beginning), low carb diet/low processed foods, supplements, HRT.

Well I had my dc late (37, 40) so I am parenting teens in my 50s which keeps me on my toes! I've kept working, and applied for promotion when my youngest went to middle school - new job is challenging but interesting. I swim once a week, weight train 3 mornings a week, see my friends... it never occurred to me that my life, health, mind would nosedive in my 50s. Why should it?

I think a lot of people do have health problems in their fifties though! If you havent had anything that has affected your ability to exercise or get out to see friends you are lucky. I am surprised at how quickly I went from fit to struggling with quite a lot and in pain.

@Clogsandtulips Yes, a handful of my peers have developed health conditions (arthritis, ME, MS) which limit their ability to exercise, but it very much the minority.

I'm 57, definitely as fit as I ever was as still capable of two active jobs, my exercise class, bike rides and DH dragging me up the hill - it's a 25% gradient, takes 30 mins.

I probably relax a bit more - have always loved reading, but probably do it more now. DH have got into a sport which we sometimes go to watch in person, but often find ourselves watching it on tv, which we wouldn't have done in our 20s.

Other than things like health checks, I don't think I've been to the GP since we've lived in this house - 10 years.

DH has always had a desk job, but still regularly goes to the gym, does steep hill walks every week without fail, long bike rides. Only time he's been to GP again in 10 years was due to the fact they wanted to see him before they issued another prescription for irritated skin he gets on his legs.

We both enjoy life as much as ever and doing our own thing.

I attend all the NHS screenings. There's a well woman check from 40 with blood tests https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/nhs-health-check/. Attend your smear tests, breast screening, bowel cancer (at home test - not sure how widely that's offered). I've a lot of friends in their 40s onwards who have had cancer - skin, bowel, womb, cervical and breast cancer and they've all survived which is amazing.

had a back injury out of nowhere last year.

This stood out for me. Back trouble can indicate that you do not feel supported in your life. Anything resonate there?

If not feel free to ignore. It is just worth a thought about what is going on in your life.

No, it wasn’t psychological (although it was in the sense that like many back injuries, my pain receptors were sending do not move signals when in fact it was perfectly fine for me to move.) I am pretty sympathetic to the idea that physical elements can have a psychological origin, and I have seen it happen with a couple of people I know.

I think it came from a bad ankle sprain I had on the other foot walking the dog a couple of years ago which meant that I incrementally and unawares changed my posture and gait.

Physiotherapy helped a great deal and I’m now doing yoga and Pilates which seem to have given me back a good deal of strength and flexibility.

Pilates is excellent for back pain. You need to keep doing it to maintain the effect. 🙂

I'm 54 and am still working in a senior position in a large company. Absolutely kept on my toes there!

On HRT since Nov 22. More to help with brain fog than physical symptoms.

Did allow myself to get overweight but have changed that now with hiit classes, a running app and cutting out the junk food.

Also have a family, 3 late teen DDs, and my lovely cat and dog to keep me company.

Been listening to a lot of podcasts on the diary of a ceo channel and finding motivation and inspiration to stay healthy there.

My PT (obviously) promotes a good exercise routine to protect your health now and in the future. She created a programme for me around three sessions a week based on -

Cardio or aerobic exercise gets your heart rate up and makes you breathe harder, which builds your endurance and burns calories.

Strength or weight training keeps your muscles ready for action.

Flexibility exercises help you stay limber so you can have a full range of movement and avoid injury.

Balance training becomes important after age 50, so you can prevent falls and stay active.